


Cautious Optimism

by castles_and_crowns



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt and comfort, Nightmares, Post-Star Wars: A New Hope, Pre-Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 20:29:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14940846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castles_and_crowns/pseuds/castles_and_crowns
Summary: Han and Leia are on their way to the new base on Hoth when Han discovers that Leia suffers from frequent nightmares.  What comes next is the first step in the evolution of their relationship.





	Cautious Optimism

**Author's Note:**

> Let it be known that I HATE coming up with titles.
> 
> *Obviously, this world belongs to Lucasfilm.

The Alliance had decided it was time to move the rebel base to an ice planet called Hoth. Everyone had a different job to do in the evacuation of the base, and Han’s job was to escort Princess Leia to Hoth on the _Millennium Falcon._

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The trip would last a day and a half. They were completely alone on the ship, with the exception of Chewbacca, of course. Since meeting two and a half years ago on the Death Star, Han and Leia’s relationship had gone in a peculiar direction. They were definitely friends—close friends, even—but they also fought like Loth-cats and Ring-dogs.

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Currently, though, they were on pretty good terms with each other. Han was thankful for this because, despite his better judgment, he was falling for the princess. He knew it was a stupid thing to do. There were several reasons the two of them wouldn’t work: they fought _a lot_ ; he was thirteen years older than she was; she was a princess and a leader of the Alliance, while he was a smuggler and a mercenary; and lastly, he was supposed to return to Tatooine to pay off Jabba the Hutt (which he _should_ have done right after helping the Alliance blow up the Death Star). And yet, over the past two and a half years, Han had conclusively fallen head over heels for the feisty princess and couldn’t convince himself to leave the Alliance—even though he still wasn’t an official part of it. Leia didn’t know of Han’s feelings, at least Han didn’t think she did. He also wasn’t sure if she felt the same way. Some days, Han was convinced Leia reciprocated his amorous feelings, and other days, he thought she only viewed him as her occasionally useful, often annoying friend.

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Whatever either of them felt was irrelevant, however, because Han _had_ to leave soon. He’d been saying it on and off for the past two years, and eventually he’d have to bite the bullet and head back to Tatooine. First though, he had to get Leia to Hoth.

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They were about sixteen hours into their thirty-six hour trip, and so far, every thing was going well. Han had spent a lot of the day teaching Leia how to play Sabaac. She was a quick learner—of course she was—and after she learned the game sufficiently, Han had gone easy on her, letting her win two of the games. But on the third game, Han had played full out…and somehow, Leia _still_ beat him.

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“You cheated!” he had accused her, though he did so good-naturedly.

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Leia had worn a satisfied smile on her face. “No. I’m just good at it.”

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“No, you’re just lucky.”

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“Maybe so,” Leia had said, winking wickedly.

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Not long after, they sat down to eat a dinner Chewie had prepared for the three of them. Leia recounted her victory to Chewie, who found it ridiculously funny.

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Han enjoyed watching Leia’s eyes light up while telling the story. She was more animated than he was used to seeing her, but he found himself liking this looser, more vivacious version of the princess. Typically she was pretty reserved (unless she was in an argument with someone), and on the rare occasion she showed off her sense of humor, it was a very dry wit. What he was witnessing now was much different than her typical snark. It only amplified his affection for her.

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After dinner, Han asked Leia if she wanted to watch a holo-drama with him and Chewie, but she declined, saying that she wished to turn in early. Han walked her to the spare cabin she’d be sleeping in and politely palmed the door open for her.

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“I’m right next door, so holler if you need anything, alright?”

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Leia smiled kindly while working to suppress a yawn. “I will. Thanks, Han.”

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She reached out and gently— _perhaps even affectionately?—_ squeezed Han’s upper arm for a second, before offering him one last smile and retiring to her cabin.

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Once her door was closed, Han let out a sigh. She really had him good, and she likely had no idea. Han was grateful this trip was only a day and half; if it had been longer, he was pretty sure he would have lost his mind trying not to let his feelings show.

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***

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Han was a light sleeper—it came with the territory of growing up on the streets. But even if he had been the heaviest sleeper in the galaxy, he was certain he would have heard Leia’s cries from the other room.

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He woke up with a start after her first cry and then stayed in bed, waiting to hear if she was going to let out another one. When she did, Han quickly rose from his bed, slipped on a pair of loose lounge pants, and exited his room.

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There was no way the princess was in danger, he reasoned, so why was she crying like she was?

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By the time he was standing outside of the spare cabin where Leia slept, she had let out two more cries that Han almost would have described as shrieks. As he stood outside her room, he debated whether he should just go in or call for her. Ultimately, he decided to enter the room, just in case she needed help in some way.

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The room was still dark, the only light being from the dim blue beams that outlined the bunk. She was still in her bunk, curled up in the fetal position and trembling.

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_She’s having a nightmare._

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“Leia,” he called softly, hoping to wake her from her dream without scaring her.

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She twitched a little when he said her name but remained asleep. A second later, she let out another cry, which sounded so despondent up close that it broke Han’s heart.

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He said her name again, this time a little louder. She squirmed a little more, twisting herself in her sheets, and a pained whimper came from deep in her throat.

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Han sighed, running a hand through his hair, before stepping toward the bed and kneeling down beside it. He didn’t want to wake her up only to have her find a tall man peering over her.

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Once he had knelt down, Han reached out his hand and gently gripped Leia’s shoulder. “Hey, Princess. Wake up. You’re havin’ a bad dream.”

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Leia’s eyes slowly opened, and when they did, Han removed his hand from her shoulder. Her deep brown eyes met his hazel ones.

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“You okay?” he asked, flipping on the lights that were over her bunk.

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“I was having a nightmare.”

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“I know,” he told her. “I heard.”

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Leia winced “I woke you up, didn’t I?”

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“You did, but that’s okay. I heard you from my room and wanted to make sure you were okay…Are you okay?”

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Leia sat up in her bed, and as she did, Han saw her eyes fall to his bare chest. She was checking him out, though he was pretty sure she didn’t _realize_ she was checking him out. He would be flattered if he wasn’t still concerned for her.

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“I’ll be fine,” she replied, her eyes returning to his. “I’m used to them.”

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Han raised an eyebrow. “You have nightmares a lot?”

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“Ever since I was little,” she said. “They’ve just gotten more frequent since the Death Star.”

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_Since she had been tortured by Vader. Since her planet had been blown to stardust._

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“Jeez,” he muttered. “I’m sorry, Leia.”

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Leia shrugged and let out a laugh void of mirth. “Why do you think they always put my quarters at the very end of the hall, away from everyone else? Mon Mothma and General Rieekan know they happen, so they make sure to give me a room away from everyone else.”

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Han nodded, standing now and taking a few steps back to lean against the wall of the cabin. “Is there anything you can do about them? A sleeping pill or something?”

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Leia shook her head. Her long brown hair, which was down for a change, swayed with her head. Han was momentarily captivated by her flowing locks; he’d never seen her hair down before, but he decided he liked it that way.

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“No. The royal medic prescribed them for me when I was a child, but they wound up only making the dreams worse. There’s really nothing that can be done.”

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“Oh.”

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Leia chuckled, more to herself than to Han, and said, “When I was a child, my parents had a droid made for me. I’d activate it at night before bed, and its one job was to alert my parents if I was having a nightmare. When it did, my dad would come in my room, scoop me up in his arms, and carry me back to my parents’ room. I’d fall back asleep in between them, usually with my mom’s arms wrapped around me. Even as a teenager, after waking up from a nightmare, I’d often make my way over to their room and crawl into bed with them. There was no safer place in the world than in my parents’ room. Now, when I wake up from the dream—if I wake up—I just walk around the base, trying to tire myself out so that I can hopefully fall back asleep.”

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She looked at him as she spoke, but Han could tell that Leia wasn’t really seeing him anymore. She was seeing her room back on Alderaan. She was seeing herself in her father’s arms. She was seeing herself resting beside her parents, feeling safe and at peace.

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Han wanted her to feel safe and at peace, especially while she on his ship.

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“You’re welcome to walk around the _Falcon_ as much as you want,” he offered.

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Leia offered him a small smile. “Thanks.”

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“You’re welcome,” he answered, “Anything else you need?”

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“ Actually…since you’re already here, would you mind sticking around for a little bit while I try to fall back asleep.”

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Han’s eyes widened, but he worked to hide his surprise. He didn’t want her to feel self-conscious about her request.

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“Sure. Let me just go grab a chair real quick.”

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He began walking to the door when Leia stopped him

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“No,” she said, her voice soft and much more hesitant than he’d ever heard it. “I meant…in the bed. Like what I used to do with my parents.”

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“Oh,” Han said, now _really_ having to work to hide his surprise.

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Of course he had no qualms about laying in bed with Leia. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to lay beside her, getting to share her space, feel her warmth, smell the scent of her hair. The one issue he did have, however, was with the size of the bunk Leia was sleeping in. It was far too small for both of them to fit, so he suggested she come back to his cabin.

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“The bunk there is twice as big,” he told her.

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“Is it?” she asked dubiously. “I thought bunks on freighters like this were standard size.”

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“The previous captain made some alterations,” Han said.

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Technically, there was no difference between Han joining her in her bunk and him inviting Leia to his, but Han still understood the implication and why Leia felt apprehensive.

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Leia looked at him skeptically for a moment more, as if she was examining his face and looking for lies. When she was satisfied that he was telling the truth, she nodded and climbed out of her bed

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“Okay.”

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Leia followed Han out of her cabin and back into his. It was the first time she’d ever been inside his cabin, and Han watched as she glanced around his room, taking it all in.

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“Your room is cleaner than I imagined,” she commented, crossing her arms.

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Han chuckled, as he went to the bed and pulled back the covers. “Why’d you think it’d be messy?”

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She raised an eyebrow at him. “Have you seen the rest of your ship?”

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Han tilted his head from side to side, conceding her point. “That's fair.”

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He gestured toward the bed, inviting her to get in. She walked slowly toward him and the bed, and Han could see the hesitancy in her step and in her eyes. She put her hands on the mattress, still not climbing up yet, and looked at him sharply.

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“No funny business.”

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“I wouldn’t dream of it, Your Worship. I like my women excited, willing, and ready.”

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She rolled her eyes at his comment but, nonetheless, climbed up on the mattress and scooted to the far side of the bed. Once she appeared settled, Han got in the bed as well and pulled the covers up over them. He then reached up to the overhead and dimmed the lights.

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They lay there in silence, Leia facing the wall and Han facing her back. He could smell her flowery scent coming from her recently washed hair and a little thrill twisted in his gut at the thought of his bed smelling like her tomorrow and the next day and the next.

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_Get it together, Solo._

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When five minutes passed and neither had said anything, Han assumed Leia had fallen asleep. Happy that she was able to fall back into her slumber so quickly, Han allowed his own mind to drift and he began to fall into a shallow sleep.

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“Han?”

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Her timid voice stirred him awake once more.

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“Yes?”

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She was still facing away from him. “Could you— _would_ you hold me?”

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Han swallowed hard. “Uh…yeah. Are you sure?”

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“Yes,” she answered, her voice a whisper.

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Han did as she asked and draped an arm around her. The other arm, the one he was sort of resting on, reached into her hair and Han began running his hand through it.

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“Thank you,” she breathed. Han thought he saw her shoulders relax.

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“Of course, Leia.”

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A few more minutes of silence. And then, “My mom used to do that too.”

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“Do what?” Han asked.

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Leia turned around in Han’s arms so that she was facing him. There heads were close— _too close_ , Han thought—and he could feel her breath on his face. He didn’t like it…or rather, he liked it too much.

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“Run her fingers through my hair. I’ve always found it soothing.”

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“Is it soothing now?” he asked. His voice had taken on a surprisingly husky timbre.

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“Yes,” she said, and then she closed her eyes, though she remained facing him.

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_No funny business,_ Han thought, as he gazed at Leia’s now mostly peaceful face.

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Only moments later, Leia’s breath evened out, signaling that she had fell asleep, and soon after, Han fell asleep as well.

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Han woke up later, though how much later he wasn’t sure, to the sound and movement coming from the other side of the bed. It seemed that her in her sleep, Leia had wiggled out of Han’s arms and was now at the edge of the bed, twitching and whimpering.

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Han quickly scooted over in the bed and wrapped his arms around Leia.

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“Leia,” he said, whispering into her ear. “You’re dreaming again. Wake up.”

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She jerked in his arms, and he squeezed her tighter to his body.

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“Leia, you’re on the _Millennium Falcon_. You’re safe.”

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She tensed and then let out a big, shaky sigh. She was awake again.

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“You okay?”

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“I rarely have more than one in the same night,” she said, her voice trembling. She didn’t turn to face him, but Han thought if she had, he would have seen tears in her eyes.

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“It’s okay,” he soothed, “I’ve got you.”

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“I’m sorry to keep waking you up.”

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“No,” he said. “Don’t worry about that.”

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He’d stay up all night if he had to, to ensure that she wouldn’t leave the comfort in his arms and fall into another nightmare. He wanted to tell her that, but he knew that might be going too far, might scare her out of his arms. And he definitely didn’t want that.

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“You’re a good man when you’re not trying to be a such a terrible rogue,” she said, still not facing him.

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Han chuckled. “I’ll take that as a compliment, Your Highness.”

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He began running his hand through her hair again, and Leia let out a soft sigh. “Thank you.”

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Han didn’t respond with words. He only pulled her closer to him with the hand he still had wrapped around his waist.

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This time, thankfully, when Leia fell asleep, she remained asleep. Han made sure to stay awake and had planned on staying up the rest of the night to ensure to she didn’t slip into another bad dream. But some time very early in the morning cycle, he crashed, passing into unconsciousness with Leia still safely in his arms.

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When he woke up the next morning, Leia was absent from his bunk. He glanced at the chrono on the wall and saw it was well past the time he usually got up.

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He already had pants on from the night before, so he quickly slipped on a shirt, and headed out of his cabin.

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Voices—or rather, one voice and one bark—were coming from the galley, so Han made his way in that direction. He found Leia and Chewie sitting around the small table, eating space waffles and laughing.

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“Good morning,” he greeted.

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“Morning!” Leia looked up at him and smiled. If he hadn’t known that she had had two nightmares the night before, he never would have guessed based on her expression. She seemed well-rested and cheerful.

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Chewie greeted Han with a growl as well, and Han could detect some snarky amusement in the Wookie’s tone that Leia probably wouldn’t be able to pick up on. She understood basic Shyriwook , but she hadn’t quite picked up on the peculiar intonations yet. Han gave his co-pilot and warning look, and the Wookie’s eyes returned to his food.

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****

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A few hours later, the _Millennium Falcon_ made its scheduled landing on Hoth.

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While Han left Chewie to deal with the ship, he helped Leia carry her luggage to her assigned cabin, which was down at the end of an icy hall, somewhat isolated from where most of the other rebel leaders slept.

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They hadn’t talked about the night before, and Han didn’t want to broach the topic if it made Leia uncomfortable. Not to mention, she seemed to be in pretty good spirits all morning, so he didn’t think it was advisable to mention it.

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When they got to her cabin, Han put down her two surprisingly heavy suitcases. Leia dropped her large dufflebag on the floor, too, and turned to Han.

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“Thank you for everything,” she said.

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“You’re welcome, Your Worship,” Han said, dipping his head.

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Leia rolled her eyes good-naturedly at Han’s gesture and crossed her arms against her chest. Her face then grew serious. “My gratitude includes what you did for me last night.”

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She was looking at him intently, her expression unreadable to Han.

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He shrugged in response. “It wasn’t a big deal,” he said, hoping to downplay it, thinking Leia would prefer it that way.

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She nodded thoughtfully and then said, “I know that maybe that was unfair of me to ask of you and that it may have been… _difficult_ for you, and I just wanted you to know I really appreciate it.”

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She had looked at him pointedly when she said ‘difficult,’ before breaking eye contact and focusing her attention on the wall behind him

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Han cleared his throat uncomfortably. Clearly, Leia was more aware than she let on. Or maybe Han was just more transparent than he realized.

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“You needed some assistance and I was happy to help.”

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Leia looked back up at him and smiled, her eyes warm and appreciative. Some type of understanding passed between them.

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“So, I suppose you’ll be leaving soon?” Leia said, after a beat.

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“Leaving?” Han blinked. Her question had taken him out of their shared moment.

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“To go back to Tatooine.”

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“Oh. Right.”

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His heart sank. He hadn’t actually thought about Jabba or Tatooine in maybe half a day, which was longer than he had ever gone without thinking about it before.

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Leia was looking at him, her smile was still there but it had a twinge of sadness now.

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“I’ll have to go eventually,” he said, working some vibrato into his voice, “But I’m going to help you all get settled here first. And while I’m here, if you find yourself having any nightmares, you’re more than welcome to make your way over to the _Falcon_. I won’t mind.”

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It was his turn to give her a pointed look. Her grin lost its sadness, and she nodded.

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“I’ll consider it,” she said, a twinkle in her eye.

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“Good” he replied.

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Leia did return to Han’s bunk on the _Falcon._ She didn’t come often and she was always gone before Han woke up in the morning. But every time she made her way into his bunk, Han would faithfully wrap his arms around her, soothe her back to sleep, and then just _watch_ her shoulders slowly rise and fall until he fell asleep again as well.

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These late night rendezvous (for lack of a better word) seemed to improve their relationship during the day time too. They fought significantly less than they ever had before, and Han found that they were slowly becoming more affectionate with each other. They weren’t together—they hadn’t even kissed—but there was a warmth and a gentleness that they now shared. Thoughts of Jabba and Tatooine began to drift further and further into the back of Han’s mind, and he began to think maybe he wouldn’t ever leave the Rebel Alliance. Maybe he wouldn’t leave, and maybe he would ty to pursue a relationship with Leia. It was, after all, becoming increasingly clear to him that she did, in fact, reciprocate his feelings.

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But then they ran into trouble in the form of a bounty hunter on Ord Mantell and Han knew he couldn’t stay with the Rebel Alliance any longer. When he and Leia returned to Hoth after their botched mission, things grew frosty between them once more. She didn’t come to his ship anymore, and Han was certain things were irrevocably ruined between them.

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That is, until the Empire found their base and he had to literally _drag_ Leia away from the command center and onto the _Millennium Falcon._

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And now, here they were, stuck on the ship together again for an extended period of time. She was still aggravated with him at the moment, but Han was cautiously optimistic. If things could thaw between them, even just a little, maybe she’d make her way back into his bunk again. Maybe he’d get to wrap his arms around her once more, and maybe he’d get to lull her back to sleep with his fingers running through her hair and his arm wrapped around her slender body.

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_Maybe._

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**Author's Note:**

> Writing this fic really showed me just how much I enjoy writing from Han's POV. Also, I'm such a sucker for bed sharing. I think it's my favorite trope.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this :)


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